In case you don’t care about horse racing tradition and oversized hats, the Maryland Jockey Club has asked back former Ravens cheerleader and reality TV star Stacy Keibler and Top Chef’s Mike Isabella, who is getting ready to open a new restaurant in Penn Quarter, to this year’s Preakness Stakes.
Keibler graduated from Catholic High School, attended Towson University and was a Baltimore Ravens cheerleader before becoming an actress and model. She had successful stints in professional wrestling and “Dancing With The Stars.” She’ll be introducing the performers on the Infield’s main stage and mingling with the crowd (read: men) in the beer garden as the official “celebrity host” of Preakness Infieldfest.
Isabella, who is set to open his first restaurant, Graffiato, in Penn Quarter, will be holding a pair of cooking demonstrations and tastings in the Preakness Corporate Village. The runner-up on “Top Chef All-Stars” on Bravo, Isabella was the executive chef of D.C.’s Zaytinya for the last three years.
Preakness launched its celebrity chef experience last year with Top Chef’s Voltaggio Brothers. Brian Voltaggio owns the popular Frederick restaurant, Volt.
The Preakness is scheduled to run May 21 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
